Prior to Game 1, St. Louis Blues coach Ken Hitchcock told reporters not to overlook the Blues power play, reminding them that it ranked third amongst teams in the playoffs, just below the Sharks, converting at a 27.5 percent clip.

But the Sharks penalty kill has forced Hitchcock to eat his words in the first three games of the Western Conference finals.

After surrendering a power play goal on their first kill of the series, the Sharks penalty kill, which ranked 21st in the league during the regular season (80.5 percent), has stopped the Blues power play on eight consecutive opportunities with the man advantage.

“We’re playing really aggressive,” center Chris Tierney said. “We’re coming out hard on them and taking away their time and space. They’ve got a lot of skilled guys, if you give them time to set up and make plays they’re going to hurt you.”